PWM Dimming Control for High Brightness LED Based Automotive Lighting Applications

In recent years, the use of high brightness LEDs has become increasingly accepted as light sources in mainstream vehicles. However, LEDs are semiconductor devices having electrical characteristics completely different to the traditional lamps. The output luminous flux of an LED is determined by the forward current running through it. Therefore they cannot be powered directly from the automotive battery using the conventional driving techniques. They require specialized driving systems which can ensure the optimal flow of current through LEDs, while maintaining the required level of output luminous. This paper discusses the importance of luminous control for LED based lamps. A design example of boost type DC-DC switching converter with pulse width modulated (PWM) dimming control is presented. In the end, simulation has been presented using MATLAB/Simulink simulation package to ensure the system’s performance within the desired parameter